


Burn, Witch

by Sincerely_Sierra



Category: American Horror Story, American Horror Story: Apocalypse, American Horror Story: Coven
Genre: Appendicitis, Bitchy hospital staff, F/F, Hospitals, Mama Bear Cordelia, Protective Zoe, Zoe is Madison’s home
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 12:07:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22849879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sincerely_Sierra/pseuds/Sincerely_Sierra
Summary: The coven faces discrimination in an unlikely place: a hospital.
Relationships: Zoe Benson/Madison Montgomery
Comments: 2
Kudos: 83





	Burn, Witch

**Author's Note:**

> Long time no post! I’ve just moved into my first apartment and today is my 19th birthday, so things have been very chaotic, but I’m committed to writing more. Magic and Mischief will be updated soon. 
> 
> —Sincerely, Sierra

Zoe had given Madison a hot bath in the evening, effectively skipping dinner with the coven in favor of cradling Madison in a tub of bubbles, rubbing the blonde’s back soothingly as she kissed around her face to calm her down.

For the past day, Madison had not been feeling well. Her belly hurt, especially on the right side, and breathing too deep caused a sharp pain to spread across her abdomen. Zoe was concerned, but she brushed it off as a stomach virus that would dissolve with time and a bowl of hot soup.

Madison began to cry and whine when Zoe brought her a slice of dry toast. She had rejected bowls of soup and oatmeal, due to vomiting up anything solid, and was now refusing to nibble on bread. 

“Mads, you need food, baby,” Zoe cooed. “Take a tiny bite. For me? Just try for me, princess.”

Madison shook her head and whimpered, holding her lower abdomen. Zoe frowned and felt the blonde’s forehead, which was scalding to the touch. Without saying a word, Zoe abandoned the plate in Madison’s lap and retrieved a thermometer from the medicine cabinet while Madison continued to cry.

“Open up, princess,” Zoe said. Madison complied. “That’s a good girl.”

Zoe took care praising Madison in this state; usually, she would praise her only for keeping her anger in check or behaving herself in a stressful situation in which she would otherwise have a tantrum, but Zoe praised her for the little things when she wasn’t feeling well. She wanted to make Madison feel comfortable and relaxed, and getting worked up over small things didn’t help either one of them. 

“Oh, Maddie,” Zoe gasped as she took the thermometer. “You have a sky high fever. I need to get Cordelia.” 

“No, please,” Madison sniffled, her lower lip trembling. “Don’t leave me alone. It hurts so bad.”

“Uhm. . .okay,” Zoe said, more to herself. “Can you climb on my back?”

Slowly getting into a crawling position on the bed, Madison wrapped her arms around Zoe’s neck from behind and wrapped her legs around her waist in turn. She whined louder, nipping at Zoe’s neck and grabbing fistfuls of her shirt to ease her pain. 

“It’s alright, baby,” Zoe soothed. “It’s gonna be okay. Stay calm.” 

Balancing Madison on her back, Zoe carefully speed-walked towards Cordelia’s office and hastily knocked on the door, hoping she hadn’t gone to bed yet. As they waited for an answer, Madison cried and sobbed. Her face began turning a shade of green the longer they stood there. 

“Girls?” Cordelia asked as she opened her door. “Oh, my. What’s going on?”

“She has a 104 degree fever,” Zoe replied. “Her stomach is killing her and she can’t eat anything without throwing up.”

Cordelia looked at the thermometer and immediately pocketed it. She took Madison from Zoe’s back, at which point Madison clenched her eyes shut and vomited at Cordelia’s boots. 

“Zoe, go get me a bathroom trash can or a bin. We’re taking her to the hospital.”

As Zoe scurried off to retrieve what Cordelia asked of her, Madison began blubbering apologies. Stepping around the puddle, Cordelia wrapped Madison in her arms and kissed her hot forehead as she swayed her back and forth. 

“I’m so sorry,” Madison sobbed. “It hurts so badly.”

“Where does it hurt the most?” Cordelia asked. 

Madison carefully touched her lower right abdomen. Cordelia brought her fingers to the spot and gently pressed downwards, causing Madison to bite her palm to muffle a scream. 

At that point, Zoe came rounding the corner with a small storage bin. Cordelia figured it would have to do until they got to the hospital. 

“I’ll get her to the car, but she needs shoes,” Cordelia said to Zoe, wrapping an arm around Madison’s waist. “I need you to get her a pair while I get her in the car. I’ll tell Queenie to watch the girls.”

Cordelia kept a level head while bringing Madison to the car. The younger woman cried the entire way, each step sending a fire spreading throughout her body. Queenie took note of the situation and immediately accepted the responsibility of the coven while Cordelia and Zoe were out. 

“No,” Madison whined, pushing the seatbelt away from her body as Cordelia attempted to buckle her in. “It hurts too much.”

“I just do not want you to fall if I hit the brakes,” Cordelia stated. “Please, Madison.”

“No!”

Zoe carefully pushed her supreme aside and wordlessly pulled a pair of sneakers over Madison’s feet. While Zoe tied them with shaky hands, Madison whimpered in agony. 

“I’ll stay back here with her,” Zoe said to Cordelia. “I’ll hold her. Just drive.”

Zoe held the bin near Madison’s face the entire ride, and though Madison heaved and gagged, nothing of substance came up. 

“Zoe,” cried the blonde. “It hurts.”

“I know, baby,” Zoe cooed. “Please, try to relax and breathe. We’re almost there.”

Cordelia parked near the emergency room entrance, and Zoe immediately got out and began scooping limp Madison into her arms to get her out as well. When Madison struggled against Zoe’s hold, clearly uncomfortable, Cordelia took the liberty of picking her up as she would a toddler. 

“Zoe, there’s a blanket in the trunk,” said Cordelia. “It’s usually cold in there.”

Without skipping a beat, Zoe grabbed the fleece blanket from the trunk, and Cordelia wrapped Madison up as she whined into Cordelia’s neck. 

“It’s okay, Madison,” Zoe assured as they entered the ER. “You’re gonna be okay.” 

The area was quite empty for an emergency room. Only a few people were waiting, but they did not seem like patients; maybe family of patients awaiting news on their loved one. Cordelia breathed a sigh of relief as she carried Madison over to the check in desk. 

The woman working the desk was a bit older than Cordelia; not old enough to be her mother and young enough to pass for an older sister. She looked exhausted, and the tired hue gave off a slightly off-putting aura about her. Cordelia tried not to assume the worst as she shifted Madison to see over her head.

“Please help,” Cordelia begged. “Her lower right stomach is killing her and she has a very high fever.”

Zoe flanked her supreme and held Madison’s sweaty hand. The nurse looked up from her computer. She seemed confused for a moment as she stared at Cordelia, and then her face became sour. 

“I will need her insurance and information so I can get her a wristband,” the nurse said, almost hasty. 

Thinking on her feet, Zoe gave the nurse Madison’s card while Cordelia remained preoccupied with quieting the crying girl she was still holding. 

“How long is the wait?” Cordelia asked as the band printed out. “She’s in severe pain.”

“I don’t know,” the nurse replied, tightly fixing the band around Madison’s little wrist. She shoved a clipboard into Zoe’s hand. “It depends. Please have a seat, fill this out, and a doctor will see her soon.”

Sharing a look, Zoe and Cordelia wandered over to a silent corner of the near-vacant room and sat down. Cordelia sat Madison in her lap and covered her up to her head with the blanket, rocking her back and forth as she anxiously bounced her knee.

“God, this is so dumb,” Zoe said as she began to fill out the forms. “Why can’t they take her in and I’ll do this while they’re taking care of her? This is an ER!”

“They’re just being difficult,” Cordelia responded quietly. “Hopefully she’ll be fine and we can get her out of here tonight.”

Madison whimpered against Cordelia’s breast. Her wet hands clenched around her supreme’s black button down blouse, and she closed her eyes and tried to breathe through the explosive pain. 

Zoe presser her forehead with two fingers. “Madison, when was your last period? I can’t remember all this.”

Moaning in response, Madison turned her head and tried to think. Between the pain and chills, her body couldn’t pause long enough for her to remember anything. 

“I’ll just put whatever,” Zoe mumbled. 

As Zoe completed the forms, a lethargic woman with a young child in tow came through the automatic doors. Cordelia stroked Madison’s head and, having nothing better to do, watched them. The nurse smiled brightly at the woman and quickly took care of her check-in, stopping once to offer the sleepy child a sticker. 

The mother-son pair sat across from Cordelia, and as the woman put her wallet into her purse with the movement of a snail, her child kneeled at the play table in the middle of the waiting room and began toying with the beads. 

Not appreciating the sounds of the plastic beads clacking, Madison nestled further into Cordelia’s chest. She could hear blood rushing through her ears, and soon, a wave of nausea overcame her. 

“What’s taking so long?” Zoe asked herself. “It’s been almost half an hour since I gave her the forms back.” 

“I hate hospitals,” Cordelia said bitterly. “I could have tried to help her, but this seems to be internal. I can’t fix her.”

“I know,” Zoe replied. She looked at Madison, who was still buried under the blanket, only a sliver of her face visible. “How are you feeling, baby? Are you hot under there?”

“Cold,” Madison sniffled. 

Zoe texted Queenie to inform her of them still waiting on a doctor to see Madison, and as soon as she sent it, another nurse emerged from the back and approached the area. Breathing a sigh of relief, Cordelia began to stand with Madison, until the nurse went to the woman and her son. They chatted briefly before the mother picked up her preoccupied child and followed the nurse to the back.

“Wait,” Zoe said to Cordelia. “Weren’t we here first? They can’t do that. Can they?”

“I’ll find out,” Cordelia assured, sliding Madison into her seat as she stood. “Watch her.”

Zoe tended to Madison while she observed Cordelia stride up to the desk. 

“Excuse me,” Cordelia said, almost too sweet. “It has been over an hour and they’ve already taken someone else who came after us. My. . .daughter is sick. When will a doctor see her?”

The nurse did not look Cordelia in the eye as she replied, “We are quite busy. You’ll get your turn soon.”

For some reason, that made Cordelia seethe. She turned on her heel and sat back down next to Zoe, who now had Madison in her lap.

“What did she say?” Zoe asked.

“We’ll get our turn,” Cordelia spat. “Soon. Whenever that is.”

Another hour passed, and the room was soon a ghost town. For an ER, it was quite dead. Now, Zoe was jingling two quarters in her palm, pacing the room, while Cordelia tried to get Madison to sleep. 

“Zoe, please sit,” Cordelia said. “You are giving me anxiety.”

“It’s been hours!” Zoe exclaimed. “What if she was dying?!”

“Zoe.”

The girl humbled herself and sat down, putting her head in her hands. Madison shifted slightly in Cordelia’s hold, and shrieked. 

“Oh,” Cordelia sighed, “did that hurt?”

Madison nodded and bit her palm.

“She’s burning up,” observed the supreme. “Her fever isn’t going down on its own.”

“Fuck this,” Zoe swore as she stomped over to the desk. “Look, lady. There is no one here but us now, and it’s been nearly three hours. Nobody had come out of there in awhile. My girlfriend is in a lot of pain with a 104-degree fucking fever. So, you had take her back now. I gave you everything you needed and you still allowed them to take another person before her. It’s not okay.”

“That woman had a child,” the nurse said. “She had priority.”

“That’s not right, either,” Zoe said. “Now it’s just us, so can you please just have someone take a look at her? I’m being nice because there are sick people here and I don’t want to disturb them.”

“We know who you are,” replied the nurse.

“Excuse me? What are you saying?” Zoe asked.

“Witches. Miss Robichaux’s Academy.”

Rather than shrinking into herself or becoming pale, Zoe threw her hands up. 

“And?! What does that have to do with this situation?” she snapped. 

“I don’t have to give you first priority. If it were up to me, you would have been turned away.”

“Good thing you can’t do that, by law, which is larger than any belief could ever be,” Zoe growled. “So, have a doctor see her now, or I will abracadabra you off this earth without any hesitation. How about that?”

Zoe’s hard glare was enough to send the nurse scampering out the door leading to the exam rooms. Zoe returned to Cordelia and smiled.

“What happened?” Cordelia asked.

“She purposely stalled them because we’re witches,” said Zoe. 

“You can’t be serious,” Cordelia spat. “She’s in pain and so their idea is to. . .whats the word?”

“Discriminate?”

“Yeah, that. God, I never thought we’d still be dealing with this.” Cordelia sat Madison up as a doctor came to her side.

Despite the nurse glaring from afar, the doctor was quick to assess Madison and brought her to an exam room, where she laid her down. 

“I’m going to look her over,” the doctor told Cordelia. “Please have a seat and I will come get you.”

Zoe and Cordelia hesitated leaving Madison alone, but the comforting, gentle way she handled Madison in their presence was enough convincing. Zoe kisses Madison’s forehead and followed Cordelia to their place in the waiting room.

“I can’t believe this happened,” Cordelia said quietly. “We’ve been open to the public for so long. Why now?”

“Some people are just ignorant,” Zoe said with a shrug.

The waited quite impatiently, until a half hour passed with a hard silence, and the doctor emerged.

“How is she?” Zoe jumped up. “Is she okay?”

“She has appendicitis. Normally I would try to get her fever down to normal, but because it’s so severe and you waited so long, we have to operate now. It’s extremely dangerous if it ruptures.”

Cordelia swallowed and squeezed Zoe’s arm. 

“Will she be alright?” Zoe squeaked.

“This is very common. There is nothing to worry about,” the doctor said. “It’s a fairly quick surgery, and she’ll be home tomorrow.”

“Can I stay with her tonight?” Zoe asked. 

“I don’t see why not. It definitely depends on how she’s doing afterwards.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Zoe sat down with Cordelia. They hadn’t expected the night to end with an emergency surgery and a mean, disgruntled nurse. Cordelia checked on the girls at home with a phone call, and updated them on Madison, while Zoe jingled the coins again.

+++

Within a couple hours, Cordelia and Zoe were back in Madison’s recovery room. She was sleeping, still under the influence of the medication and anesthesia. Zoe went to her side and felt her forehead; she was back to normal, at last. 

“This is kind of morbid, but I think we should check her for bruises,” Cordelia whispered. 

Zoe hadn’t thought of that, and frankly, she had never been worried about anything of that nature until this evening. She carefully took Madison’s arm and studied her skin, finding no marks or abnormalities other than the IV in her hand. 

“She’s okay,” Zoe stated, holding Madison’s hand. “She’s going to be okay.” 

Madison began to stir. Her heavy eyes opened to find Zoe smiling at her. 

“Hey, sleepy,” Zoe cooed. “How you feeling?”

“It. . .hurts a little,” Madison slurred. “Stay.”

“I’m going to stay here all night. I’m not leaving you,” Zoe assured, kissing Madison’s forehead. 

“I want water,” Madison mumbled. 

“I don’t think you can have any right now,” Cordelia said, sadly, as she brushed Madison’s hair back. “That’s what your IV is for. Just rest up and you should be back home with us tomorrow or the next day.” 

Madison snuggled up into the hospital pillows. Cordelia draped the fleece blanket over her and tucked her in, taking care not to touch her belly. 

“I’m going to go back to the academy and check on the girls,” Cordelia said, looking to Zoe. “I want you to call me if you need anything at all or if she’s not doing well. Would you like me to bring you pajamas or anything?”

“No no. I’m fine like this. I won’t sleep anyway. I have to keep an eye on her,” Zoe replied before lowering her voice. “You know why.”

Nodding in understanding, Cordelia placed a sweet kiss on Madison’s head before slipping out of the room. Zoe sat in the hard seat next to the bed and pressed Madison’s hand to her lips. 

“Tired,” Madison said as her eyes began to shut. 

“Go to sleep, princess,” Zoe whispered. “I’m not going anywhere.” 

Madison used her free hand to pull the blanket up to her face and rub the edge over her nose. Zoe, finding this adorable, stroked Madison’s milky cheek and soothed her back into a slumber. 

She watched her for a the better half of an hour. Watching her sleep, so vulnerable and calm, was almost peaceful. Madison always brought forth chaos everywhere she went, but in quiet moments like these, Zoe wouldn’t trade her for the world. 

Having missed dinner in favor of caring for Madison, Zoe’s stomach began to growl. She figured Madison would be asleep for a bit and it would give her time to scout out the hospital cafeteria for a snack. She dimmed the room lights and made sure Madison was comfortable before easing out. 

After looking around the deserted cafeteria for a few minutes, Zoe found some cookies and a pack of fruit snacks. Rather than sitting at the tables to snack, she brought it back to Madison’s room and sat next to her, only to discover Madison’s blanket had been removed and she was shivering beneath the cheaply made hospital sheet. 

Zoe searched the room and didn’t find any source of the blanket. Angry, she went to the desk where Madison’s nurse was stationed. 

“Excuse me. My girlfriend’s blanket from home was taken from her room,” Zoe stated. “She’s cold and I want her to have it back.”

“What does it look like?” Madison’s nurse, Jackie, asked. 

“It’s fleece, and blue with stars.”

“Oh, right,” Jackie said. “I did remove it. She can’t have it.”

“And why not?” Zoe asked.

“It’s unsanitary. We don’t know where it has been.”

“Please, just let her have it back,” Zoe pleaded. “She has to have something that reminds her of being home.”

“She will get it back when she’s discharged,” replied Jackie.

Zoe was exhausted and did not want to argue in a quiet hospital in the middle of the night, so she backed away before her powers could release. Madison was uncomfortably shifting in bed when Zoe returned, and Zoe kissed her cheeks to wake her.

“Hey, Mads,” Zoe said as Madison’s eyes opened. “What’s the matter? Do you need anything?”

“‘M cold,” Madison whined. “Where’s. . .my blanket?”

“Your nurse took it from you,” Zoe replied. “I tried getting it back, but she wouldn’t let me have it. I’m sorry. I know it’s more comfortable if you have something that feels like home.”

The medication began to set in again, and Madison started to doze off. 

“Zo?” Madison mumbled. 

“Yeah?” Zoe squeezed her hand. 

“You feel like home.”

+++

Madison was discharged not long after her surgery. When Cordelia returned to pick both Madison and Zoe up, Zoe pulled her aside while Madison carefully dressed herself in the clothes from home Cordelia had brought.

“They took her blanket from her last night because they said it was unsanitary,” Zoe told her supreme. “I have to get it back but I don’t know where it is or who has it after Jackie left.”

Cordelia took a deep breath and closed her eyes before turning on her heel. Assuming Cordelia would take care of it, Zoe turned to Madison and kneeled down to tie her shoes.

“She’s gonna commit murder,” Madison said. 

Zoe said nothing, having heard Cordelia laying into someone about the blanket, just outside the door. Madison giggled. Zoe moved around the room and made sure they had all their belongings—save for the blanket—before she tied Madison’s hair back. 

“When we get home, I’m going to run you a warm shower,” Zoe said. “And then we’ll take a nice, long nap.”

Madison tried to reply, but Cordelia barged in, holding the blanket in her hand. 

“Let’s get the hell out of here before I burst into flames,” Cordelia snapped. 

Zoe smiled and rested a hand on Cordelia’s arm. 

“It’s going to be okay. Madison’s fine now, and we can all go home,” said Zoe. “There’s nothing to worry about.” 

Madison patiently waited for the two to stop jabbering and provide her with much-needed attention after she had been so starved of it in the last day. 

“Are you ready to go home, Mads?” Zoe asked her girl.

“I’m hungry and thirsty,” Madison whined.

“I have ice cream for you at home,” Cordelia announced. “But after that, you have to eat real food. I’m making pasta tonight and I want you to eat it.”

That caused Madison to pout in contempt, but she was soon brought her discharge papers, and within minutes, she found herself in the car, on her way home, where she wouldn’t be mistreated and left to shiver. 

“Out of that whole damn hospital, only one nurse and doctor were nice to me,” Madison said as she carefully adjusted her seatbelt. “Why? It really enforces the whole trope of mean nurses.” 

In the front seat, Zoe bit her lip and looked at Cordelia, who was slowly coming to a stop at a light.

“Probably just a hard night, baby,” Zoe said. “You’re okay now, and that’s what’s important.” 

Cordelia said nothing for the remainder of the drive to the academy. She was still in some disbelief that there are still some hurdles the witches have to face in order to be fully accepted by society, though Cordelia feared she would not see that in her lifetime.

When they returned home, Zoe took Madison upstairs to slip into a shower with her and wash away the stress and the hospital smell. Cordelia checked on her witches, who were having class with Queenie. She watched from the door, silently observing how lively they seem, unaware of what Madison had experienced yesterday. 

She wanted to warn them, to tell them that they aren’t out of the woods just yet, and that they should be cautious around strangers for reasons other than what they’d been taught as children, but she did not want to scare them into hiding. She wanted to empower them to stand up for themselves and their sisters when the world became unfair and twisted. 

The most morbid part about this is that, Cordelia knew she would not—could not—be here forever to protect her girls, to catch them when they fall and throw herself in front of them in the face of danger. In the meantime, she was more than happy to do so, but just in case, she made a brief mental note to pull Mallory aside and discuss this with her. 

After watching her students, she put a pint of chocolate ice cream with two spoons on a tray and laid it at Madison and Zoe’s door. The shower was running, and everything was still. Cordelia sighed in relief. They would be just fine today. 


End file.
